Kenosha---It is very unclear what transpired in the last minutes of 58-year-old Tamara Brague’s life before she drowned in the waters of Lake Michigan off the Kenosha Yacht Club on Friday night August 31st of this year.
This is what we do know according to field case reports acquired by WGTD following an open records request with the Kenosha Police Department (KPD). Brague and her husband Dale---and two other couples---went sailing in the harbor around 4:30 that afternoon. About 5:45pm a male member of the group apparently got a bit seasick and they returned to land and went to the Yacht Club for dinner and drinks. The owner of the sailboat said he saw the victim drink two Vodka and Perriers---and---sample two vodka martinis but didn’t think she was intoxicated.
At 8pm, Dale Brague and the owner of the boat took the boat back to Southport Marina. The remaining four people in the group left the restaurant to take a short walk along the water. According to one of the women in the group---they separated for a brief period and while going in and out of the Yacht Club trying to find each other---lost contact with Tamara Brague—the victim---for about 10 minutes. Shortly after---a group of people was pointing to a body in the water. It was Tamara Brague.
A KPD detective who viewed Yacht Club video surveillance wrote that Tamara Brague was walking south along the harbor at 8:01pm and it appears she is lighting a cigarette. A minute later she continues walking south and is soon out of view of the camera. The edge of the pier where her body was found is approximately 20 feet further south of where she was last seen on camera. According to the police report---on that video---Tamara appeared to be in a good mood and was hugging a number of people. She didn’t appear to be having any trouble walking and she didn’t stumble. A KPD police officer who also viewed security video from that night wrote, “Brague was looking down at her cell phone as she walks out of the video frame…” It’s unclear if they were describing the same surveillance video. Her husband Dale would later tell police that Tamara had quit smoking a year ago---and---he suggested that she was likely on her cell phone.
A witness---who had been fishing in the harbor that night---told police that around 5:45pm she noticed a woman standing on the corner of the pier where Tamara drowned. She stated that the woman was there for about 5 minutes looking down at the water. She described the woman as blonde---which the victim was.
Brague was still alive when she was pulled from the water by onlookers---but---died later at a hospital.
So---it’s unclear what she was doing when she fell into the water---or---how or why she fell into the water. And---none of the people---at or around the scene of the drowning---- interviewed by police---including the victim’s husband---said they saw her fall into the lake. At this point---Tamara Brague’s death seems to be a tragic accident.
The case is considered closed unless new information develops.
